Video: Realizing responsive, high-fidelity character movement in Just Cause 3

Character movement in games usually stands at a crosscroads: the game design requires highly responsive movement, but the game's animation requires time to convey energy, momentum and intention.

At GDC 2015, Avalanche Studios' Jeet Shroff and Alex Crowhurst broke down how the studio walked that line while making Just Cause 3, addressing the additional challenges of doing it all within the constraints of budget and production time.

Using specific examples from the game, the pair demonstrated the techniques used to maintain responsiveness and preserve animation quality. They also showcased the importance of authoring content with the technology in mind, and explored ways to reduce animation content and memory usage by highlighting some of the key features of the Just Cause 3 character motion and animation systems.

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